AirportsMadeSimple Guest Author Post

Had an opportunity to Guest Author a post on a really great travel site called AirportsMadeSimple.

Check out my article on a wet market in Pattaya, Thailand.

Didi's Pizza in Angeles City, Philippines

Didi's Pizza is an independently owned restaurant in Angeles City that has been serving up their version of Filipino style pizza for over 40 years! While pizza is the local's favorite, the BBQ ribs are what really impressed me.

If you're a pizza lover and want to try something unique and different then be sure to hit up Didi's the next time you visit Angeles City, Philippines. They get very busy but will deliver right to your door. More info and pics on SleepEatGolf.

Independent Coffee Shops vs the Chains

Starbucks & Everyone Else

I don't like how Starbucks and other chains have commercialized and ruined the coffee shop experience. It's so cliche and trendy to bring your laptop and park yourself at the mall while having a coffee and working. Seriously, how long do you need to sit there and pretend to work?

What happened to the independently owned coffee shops (like Starbucks started out)? Where'd they all go? There's a funny South Park episode that tackles this very subject when Tweek's parent's are pushed out of business by one of the big chains called "Harbucks." 

I don't know about you, but I miss the small, independently owned shops. They're quaint places that are more personable and in my opinion a lot more of an authentic experience. If you're lucky enough to find one in your neighborhood drop by sometime instead of going to Starbucks, The Coffee Bean, Seattle's Best or one of the other chains. You just might find a better coffee or drink for less money!

Fortunately here in the Philippines, chain coffee shops aren't as prevalent and there's still room in the marketplace for entrepreneurs to open their own stores. One such place is Hand Drip Coffee Na and it's just down the street from where I live in Angeles City. It's my favorite place to go when I want the occasional coffee beverage.   

Pizza in Asia

Canned Tuna Is Not a Pizza Topping

Pizza in Asia is weird. I mean, it's pizza, so it's still ok even when it's bad, but as an American I don't understand some of the toppings and flavors they're combing. For example, I recently saw a margherita with canned tuna in a pizza place. Seriously? Canned tuna on a pizza! 

American Style Pizza 

Hawaiian pizza is the favorite pizza in the Philippines and in Australia, but you'll rarely see this pizza being ordered in the U.S. Your choices for American style pizza is typically limited to:

• Pizza Hut
• Shakey's
• Papa John's

While these aren't terrible choices compared to their Asian counterparts, they're not exactly my pizzas of first choice. Sure, there's a few Italian restaurants that do a decent job with a pizza, but they're typically overpriced and only slightly better. 

All hope is not lost as S&R has an absolute spot on copy of the pizza you can get in the U.S. at Costco or Sam's Club and with similar pricing. S&R is the Philippines version of Costco/Sam's Club and operates exactly the same, stocking similar items. If you have a branch near be sure to stop by for the pizza. Please note you do need a membership to enter S&R stores unless you're accompanied by a member. 

Mmmmm...Donuts

The Best Donut Chain You've Never Heard Of

J. Co Donuts is an Indonesian company with stores almost exclusively in South East Asia and Shanghai, China, but I would expect this to change in the future. If you're ever in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines or Shanghai, China be sure to check out some amazing donut creations with flavors you haven't seen or tasted before. 

Hopefully their continued success and growth will mean expansion to the U. S. as well, but for now, South East Asia has the best donut chain in the world. See and read more about them in the latest Drop-In on SleepEatGolf!

Drop-Ins

Drop-Ins

Doing new and frequent posts that I call "Drop-Ins." They're pretty much places I drop in at when I'm out and about town. A lot of times I'm carrying only a cell phone and see SleepEatGolf type places. Sometimes I'll just check them out, maybe grab a bite to eat and take a few pics or video. Some deserve some sort of write-up until I can get back there for a full in depth review. Other places are too small or limited to do a full review, but they have a viable service SleepEatGolf related that I think my readers would enjoy.

Case in point (and first Drop-In review) is Walter's Bistro. A smaller place that just does a snacks type menu. The food was good, but how do I get 1000 words, pics and video to do a featured review? I think Drop-Ins solves this problem. Check these places out because if I like them, then you probably will too!

The Search for a Subway Style Sandwich in Angeles is Over

Vietnamese Restaurant Explosion in Angeles

A few years ago, there was only one place to get a halfway decent sandwich in Angeles City. Don't get me wrong, every restaurant and hotel has several sandwiches on the menu. They're just not that good.There's even a couple of deli place that will put together a sandwich for you, but they were all lacking something.  

In fact there hasn't been one place where I would go consistently for a sandwich that was on par with Subway, Quiznos or Jimmy John's. No one was even close. Maybe that's why whenever I'd travel outside of the Angeles to Manila or another country I'd always stop by any Subway franchise I saw. I'm not a huge fan of Subway, but when you don't get a decent sandwich over the course of a year even Subway is appealing. 

This has all changed in the past year with an explosion of Vietnamese restaurants here in Angeles. The Banh Mi sandwich is world famous and one of the most delicious sandwiches you can sink your teeth into. Even the worst Banh Mi is still pretty good. Fortunately we now have 4 (maybe 5) Vietnamese restaurants that opened up within the last couple of years and they all serve their own version of the Banh Mi. 

One man and one restaurant is focusing almost exclusively on perfecting and tweaking versions of the Banh Mi sandwich. That man is Rex Soriano, a Filipino-American citizen who has opened up a small cafe in an area known as Angeles City Proper. He's worked with some big names in the restaurant business over the past 10 years like Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay to name two. I found his place by accident and will continue to go back. The latest review on SleepEatGolf.com gives you a visual taste and history about the man and his passion for the Banh Mi sandwich. 

Las Vegas Style Buffets

Las Vegas Style Buffets

Once you've been to a Las Vegas buffet you've pretty much reached the pinnacle. Vegas buffets were once known for being cheap and delicious spreads, often comped to gamblers. In today's Las Vegas buffets are now high end dining experiences. The Buffet at Bellagio hotel-casino will set you back $33.99 to $39.99 per person!

Buffets in Other Parts of the World

I once paid over $100 for a buffet at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong which could've been about $21 less if I had known that a soft drink was $7 each. Other than that experience, I've rarely seen a buffet anywhere else in the world that compares to Las Vegas. 

Buffets outside of the US and Las Vegas simply can't really compete in other parts of the world in Western eyes. But The Cruise Buffet Restaurant in Angeles City, Philippines is giving it their best shot. Run by a Korean-American Texan, Jeff Choi knows what Americans expect from a buffet and he's doing his best to bring the Las Vegas style buffet experience to Angeles City. Read all about this exciting new restaurant at SleepEatGolf.com. 

Part II of My Experience at Blue Rock Beach Resort in Subic, Philippines

Blue Rock Beach Resort Part II

Part I of my review focused on the room. 

Part II is my experiences with the food and bar scene at Blue Rock Beach Resort. 

Overall, this place didn't live up to my expectations. Read the full reviews before you head there for my opinions. 

BKK -- Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand

Airport Food Choices

Airport food typically is either high-end, expensive or low-end and still expensive. There's some great restaurants that are based in airports throughout the world and then there's your fast-food style places. I hate trying to find a decent meal in an airport. There's simply not enough middle of the road, cheap and good places. 

The airport knows they've got you boxed in. You're waiting on a flight and you're at their mercy for food. They can charge whatever they want because they know you're going to buy something. You're certainly not going to leave the friendly confines of the airport once you arrive there. 

First Taste of Thai Food at BKK (Suvarnabhumi)

The departures area has a good selection of food at Suvarnabhumi airport, but the real deal is downstairs in the Arrivals area. If you've got some time before you depart to explore the food scene in Thailand or your departure flight is delayed, then head downstairs to the Arrivals exit area and head straight to the 24 Hour Food Court near Exit Door 8. Don't miss out on this hidden jewel. 

Inside this food mecca you will find around 20 small food stalls each with reasonably priced and delicious food choices. The system is coupon based, meaning you browse the stalls, find what you like, add up the price and then proceed to the cashier counter where you buy coupons to pay for your food. It's fast, cheap, fresh and absolutely delicious if you need to get a quick meal before you head to your next destination. 

I had some time to kill before my 2 hour bus ride out of BKK so I ordered:

• Roasted duck with noodles 
• Shrimp dumpling soup with noodles

Yes, I said roast duck. Where in the world other than Asia can you get a roast duck meal for about a $1.77?! 

My total bill for this meal was $3.55 and I was totally satisfied. Other airports of the world should take note of the 24 Hour Food Court at BKK. It's a great and cheap option that many people overlook when they arrive in Thailand. 

Viet Garden Angeles City, Philippines Review Now Up

Check out the newest review on SleepEatGolf for Viet Garden in Angeles City, Philippines.

Lots of new Vietnamese places popping up and we'll get to them all.

Hotels, Restaurants and Golf Courses Around the World

Hotels, Restaurants and Golf Courses

I love traveling to new parts of the world and look forward to staying at hotels/guest houses, eating exotic foods and playing challenging golf courses. Whenever I have an upcoming vacation or business trip I have three main things on my mind:

1. Where am I going to sleep?
2. Where am I going to eat?
3. Where am I going to golf?

Finding this critical information in one place can be a daunting task. I usually have to search the internet for hours and check out many different sites to get this information and then I can never be 100% certain that I'm getting accurate and up to date information. As the internet has grown it's become more and more difficult to decipher which reviews are sponsored and who you can really trust.

SleepEatGolf Will Help Avoid Disappointment

I can't tell you how many times I've gone to big, well known websites and made plans based on user reviews only to find out that the information posted isn't accurate or is outdated. In some parts of the world, particularly Asia, things can change very fast with little to no warning even in this age of instant information. I've made plans to stay at hotels that get rave reviews only to find that the pictures I was looking at online were touched up and reviews were completely inaccurate, likely paid. It was the same with restaurants and many sites providing information to places that aren't even in business any longer. Golf courses that showed pictures of immaculate greens and wide, lush fairways turned out to be burned out treks of dead grass, unkempt and run down links.

I started SleepEatGolf so that others won't have to go through these disappointing experiences on their vacations or business trips. You're likely on a tight schedule and want to get the most out of your time away. Sites with a few paragraphs of a person's experience are helpful, but I wanted a community where I can get more in depth information from real people. SleepEatGolf is going to provide you with up to date and accurate information from our staff and actual users. Some information you can expect to find at our site will include:

• Restaurant menus
• Maps with actual locations
• Untouched pictures
• Little known spots where locals go
• Updated contact information
• Interviews with the people in charge
• Video clips
• In depth, honest reviews (good and bad)

Asia and the Rest of the World

SleepEatGolf is going to focus first on the South East Asia region. This area is growing fast and rapidly developing. Many countries are focusing on tourism and getting quality information on this part of the world can be a challenge. Countries like the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and others are becoming more and more popular tourist and business destinations. Thailand recently became the #1 tourist destination in the world and this part of the world is full of world class hotels, restaurants and golf courses that you haven't heard about. We intend to change that and help relieve the apprehension and mystery of South East Asia that you may have. As we grow and build our community more and more countries and cities all over the world will be added. 

We look forward to you interacting with fellow travelers within the community to share your experiences, tips and knowledge. With your help SleepEatGolf will fast become the go to destination for all your hotel, restaurant and golfing needs.